The I ♥ Cebu blog by Peanut Browas

Groundbreaking for the first solar energy power plant in Cebu - Image source: cekosolar.com

Solar energy is the cleanest available source of energy and it is set to be harnessed in one of the northern towns of Cebu. Groundbreaking for a P10-billion solar energy power plant was conducted recently in the northern town of Daanbantayan. The project is expected to generate 43,800 megawatts of power each year starting June of next year, as reported on Cebu Daily News.

The project covers 25 hectares in Barangay Pajo and Barangay Tominjao, where around 80,000 solar panels will be installed by CeKO Solar Farm Systems Corp. The solar panels to be used for the project will last up to thirty years, according to CeKO Solar Farm Systems Corp president Jessie Tundag.

The flat terrain makes the area suitable for the project, Tundag said. It also receives around “five hours of sunlight” every day based on an evaluation of the company, he added.

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Maintenance of the project will result to an increase in employment among the residents of the town. The project was welcomed by Mayor Augusto Corro of Daanbantayan, who said that aside from becoming the first town to “embrace renewable energy,” the project also generates local employment.

The investment of the company shows its confidence on the economic potential of the town and its local government, Mayor Corro added. Chairman Yong So Lee of CeKO Solar Farm Systems Corp is hoping that brownouts in the town will be prevented by the project, which may also become a tourist attraction for the town of Daanbantayan.

Tundag said the company is planning to expand the area used for the project to include Barangay Lanao and Barangay Malingin. The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines will benefit from an expansion of the project since it can provide an additional 100 MW of power to the grid.

Power generation of the solar energy power plant is expected to average 4.8 hours every day, which can enhance the load of the Cebu grid.